IPL 4: Deccan Chargers beat Delhi Daredevils by 16 runs

Hands on his hips and head bowed down, Morne Morkel’s pose was an apt summary of Delhi Daredevils’ woes this season. The South African pacer had been smashed straight back over his head by Deccan Chargers’ Sunny Sohal – a player very few people would have heard of beyond the state of Punjab.

The Daredevils were once again beaten at home, this time by the Chargers, as they lost by 16 runs on Tuesday. Delhi are now at the bottom of the table after their third loss in four games.

Chasing 169, David Warner (51; 48b, 5×4, 1×6) tried his best to keep the Daredevils in the hunt with in-form Venugopal Rao (21; 23b, 3×4) for company. Former Daredevils tweaker Amit Mishra prized out Rao before Warner holed out to part-time off-spinner Shikhar Dhawan. For the Chargers, medium-pacer Harmeet Singh was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2/27 including the prize scalps of Virender Sehwag and Aaron Finch.

Earlier, Morkel, who is supposed to be the leader of the Daredevils attack this season, was treated with contempt. It was not all South African paceman’s fault as the Ferozeshah Kotla track negated all his strengths as a pacer.

Sohal clobbered an efficient 62 (41b; 8×4, 1×6) and in the company of his skipper Kumar Sangakkara (49; 35b, 8×4, 1×6) set up Chargers’ tally of 168/4 after they elected to bat first. Morkel’s figures on the other hand stood at 0/31 in four overs and the 26-year-old would have liked to be anywhere else but here.

It was no brutal assault by the Chargers batsmen but a clinical dissection as they powered on to more than a par score for this track. The second-wicket stand of 92 runs between Sohal and Sangakkara took full toll of wayward stuff dished out by Ashok Dinda (1/33), Irfan Pathan (1/28) and James Hopes (1/36).

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